The Princess - Stronghold Crusader 2 AI Lords

The Princess is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Crusader 2 (available as part of the The Princess & The Pig DLC)

Overview

"The Princess has a tendency to solve her problems by throwing money at them. Her wealthy funds mean that she is able to attack early on, often with a wide range of siege equipment. She takes care of her army and likes to use swordsmen to provide protection for her troops on the battlefield."

– the Princess' in-game description

Castles & Defenses

The Princess builds a square shaped castle with a thick wall, featuring medium watch and medium towers, tower mangonels and ballistae along with two gatehouses. The sides of her castle hosting the gatehouses feature a second layer of defences in the shape of a curtain wall with a curtain gatehouse. Her towers are manned by numerous Arabian archers. The inside of her castle host her barracks, armoury, mercenary camp, stockpile, weapons industry and most housing. A force of men at arms, swordsmen and Arabian archers is positioned atop the keep to guard the princess herself.

The Princess castle is generally well-designed and withstand most attackers relying on lighter troops, few ranged units or siege weapons. The best approach of dealing with the princess' defenders is to send a group of twenty to thirty crossbowmen. Even without manlets these will be enough to clear out all her towers. Though, manlets certainly make things a lot easier. A large group of men at arms can also wreak havoc on her forces, as their thrown spears can take out archers and even tower mounted weapons. Then it's only a matter of breaching her walls and sending troops in to finish the job. Surviving crossbowmen can then move into the courtyard and clear the remaining Arabian archers and men at arms. Destroying her mercenary camp or barracks is a good idea at this point. Her swordsmen can prove an issue, but sufficient swordsmen of your own can easily deal with them.

Economy

The Princess' economy is surprisingly decent, considering she uses neither the inn nor the church. She relies exclusively on fourteen pig farms for food production. An iron mine, some eight wood camps and up to three quarries provide her with all the resources she needs. Her weapons production is perfectly adequate for her needs, as she is primarily reliant on spears, which her six pole turners provide. An armourer and a blacksmith provide her with the equipment needed for swordsmen.

Raids & Sieges

The Princess' armies consist out of men at arms, swordsmen and Arabian archers supported by catapults, mantlets, fire ballistae, trebuchets and war wolves.

In battle, the Princess isn't a very sophisticated commander, but she's an aggressive one. Her preferred tactic is to harass with a force of forty to a hundred men at arms. Thanks to her weapons industry, she's able to train these groups rather quickly and consistently. On occasion, she's going to mix it up by sending a group of up to forty swordsmen and Arabian archers. Her siege armies are by comparison rather small. They're made up of the same combination of men at arms, swordsmen and Arabian archers, initially with two catapults and four manlets for support. Eventually more catapults and more advanced siege engines are deployed such as a fire ballista, trebuchet and war wolf.

The Princess is most dangerous in the early game. Especially, her forty man at arms raids can be devastating. As such, it's vital to invest into archers or crossbowmen early. Place these units atop towers or walls with a hoarding. Once enough ranged defenders are present, her raids should become manageable. Some melee units for tying down the men at arms can also be useful. Fending off her siege armies is, surprisingly enough, usually easier. The same tactics apply as in dealing with her raids. Some crossbowmen and tower mounted ballistae are useful when dealing with her swordsmen and siege weapons.